Booking WWE SmackDown's Main-Event Scene, Samoa Joe as AEW Champ, More Quick Takes

The returns of The Rock and John Cena last Friday night gave WWE SmackDown the shot of adrenaline it desperately needed.

The question now among fans is whether SmackDown can sustain the momentum heading into the final stretch of 2023, especially in the absence of Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns in the main-event scene.

Meanwhile, the top of the card in AEW continues to heat up as Samoa Joe will challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship this Wednesday on the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite.

With the phenomenal work Joe has putting in as of late, a case can certainly be made for Joe walking away with the title. Not only would it give him his just due, it would also add even more intrigue to the ongoing angle involving MJF, Roderick Strong and Adam Cole.

This installment of Quick Takes will delve into why Joe should capture gold at Grand Slam, if Collision is at risk of losing its identity, Nia Jax's return signaling a bigger issue in Raw's women's division, and more.

How to Keep SmackDown's Main-Event Scene Interesting in Remainder of 2023 and Beyond

SmackDown suffered a significant hit coming out of SummerSlam when Roman Reigns took his latest hiatus and Jey Uso moved to Monday Night Raw. The drama with the remaining members of The Bloodline hasn't been enough to keep the audience invested.

The immediate future of the blue brand's main-event scene became much clearer on Friday's show when AJ Styles saved John Cena from Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, seemingly setting up a tag team match for the Fastlane pay-per-view in early October.

That should segue immediately into Styles challenging Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the rumored Crown Jewel event in November. Although it's obvious he won't win, Styles is the perfect person for The Tribal Chief to defend against at this stage of his reign.

In the meantime, WWE can continue building up the white-hot LA Knight, who teased pursuing championship gold last Friday on SmackDown. He would be another compelling contender for Reigns come the Royal Rumble in January.

The long-term plan should still be Cody Rhodes and Reigns renewing their rivalry and Rhodes becoming champ at WrestleMania 40, despite recent rumblings of The Rock returning.

The crumbling of The Bloodline will remain the focal point of SmackDown until Reigns drops the title, but incorporating each of these characters into the story along the way can at least prevent it from growing stale.

Is Collision at Risk of Losing Its Identity as AEW's Own Alternative?

In the three weeks since CM Punk's abrupt departure from AEW, Collision has shown more and more signs of adopting the same style of pacing that has become synonymous with Dynamite and Rampage in recent years.

The most appealing part of the program for many fans upon its premiere over the summer was that it felt like AEW's own alternative. It started with a more traditional format, emphasized the in-ring action and had a unique roster that was largely exclusive to Saturday nights.

Per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, AEW's soft roster split was abandoned at the beginning of the month, leading to Collision having lineups similar to what would be seen on Rampage. The quality of the show hasn't drastically decreased, but the lack of consistent storytelling has been noticeable beyond the Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks rivalry.

Danielson filling the void Punk left behind is encouraging as he's a big enough star to carry the program, but it's imperative AEW continues to prioritize Collision and keep its current vibe rather than treat it as Dynamite on a different night.

Collision gives AEW's loaded roster another platform for exposure and opportunities but is at risk of losing what made it a special show to begin with.

Nia Jax's Return Signals a Bigger Issue in Raw's Women's Division

Almost exactly two years removed from her last appearance on the flagship show, Nia Jax returned to Raw last Monday night and made her presence felt by costing Raquel Rodriguez the Women's World Championship and subsequently attacking current champ Rhea Ripley.

Ripley's reign has largely been lackluster due to the lack of credible competition she's been given to work with. Jax obviously poses a threat to the title and can be one of Ripley's few rivals to have a size advantage over her, but the bigger issue with Raw's women's division still has yet to be addressed.

Jax is obviously established with the audience and babyfaces who are not currently over, such as Rodriguez, can benefit from feuding with her. Simultaneously, it's telling that WWE looked brought back a familiar face to shake up the title scene instead of building up the many underutilized women on the Raw roster at the moment.

This includes Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Emma and former NXT Women's champion Indi Hartwell. They will not be successful until they're booked better and are positioned as actual stars on the show.

The Irresistible Force is not the answer to Raw's woes within the women's division but could play a small part in improving it, provided she's properly used.

Why WWE Must Tread Carefully with Main Roster Stars on NXT

There has never before been more crossover between WWE's main roster and NXT than in the last few months, and to the credit of the company, it has paid dividends in NXT's ratings and viewership.

Baron Corbin and Mustafa Ali have experienced career resurgences in NXT, Dana Brooke is in the midst of a long-overdue character repackaging, and Dominik Mysterio capturing the NXT North American Championship has led to the title getting great exposure regularly on Raw.

Becky Lynch as NXT Women's champion can also benefit her and NXT's women's division in the long run, but the goal should be to strengthen the brand once both her and Mysterio's reigns are over.

Otherwise, main roster stars dominating NXT will only prove to be good for a short-term gain, and the brand will be no better off than it was previously.

Making the show a third brand again does not necessarily mean overloading it with stars from SmackDown and Raw. If NXT's up-and-coming talent can improve as a result of their presence and have a more seamless transition to the main roster eventually, then the experiment can be deemed a success.

Making the Case for Samoa Joe as AEW World Champion

Not counting his three runs as NXT champion, it's been over 15 years since Samoa Joe last held a world title in a major promotion. That must change come Grand Slam when he takes on MJF for the AEW World Championship.

He's been a dominant ROH World Television champion for over a year and had two short but run reigns as AEW TNT champion last year into this year, but none of that would compare to capturing AEW's most prestigious prize, if only for a brief period.

An All In rematch between MJF and Adam Cole is the most likely direction, but AEW can still get to that by having Joe take the title from MJF first, effectively putting him back in chase mode.

It would force Better Than You BayBay to become competitive again to see who would get the next crack at the championship while Joe defends against an array of challengers across the roster.

A vast majority of AEW's audience expects Joe to be a stepping stone for MJF as part of his ongoing angle with Cole, but switching the title at Grand Slam would give it yet another shocking twist. This is the hottest Joe has been in years and capitalizing on that with a well-deserved AEW title win would be the way to go.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.